2024 Acura MDX Type S Drags and Rolls Audi Q8 and BMW X5. It's Close, But Not Enough

Of course, there's only one way to put it. We are not talking about an actual party, but the freezing temperatures, the wind gusts, and the flurry of snowflakes were quite real. No worries, the participants were also well prepared – an Acura with Super Handling AWD, an Audi with the famous quattro system, as well as BMW's entry into the world of 4x4s, xDrive!

As for the setting, even Sam, the host of the Sam CarLegion channel on YouTube, admits this is the most Canadian race he has ever done – complete with fresh snow, windy chills, and freezing temperatures. Still, he has prepared yet another drag-and-roll race skirmish with big mid-size crossover SUVs equipped with winter tires, so they didn't get deterred. As always, the location is the same – a former airfield now converted into farmland and a wind factory.

The important thing is that it's not a public road, and the surface, while unprepared, was recently paved with a fresh coat of tarmac. As for the guests for his latest drag and roll encounter, they are the 2024 Acura MDX Type S, the high-performance variant equipped with the company's 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 and 355 happy ponies of the brand's best-selling nameplate. Then there's also an Audi Q8 S Line packing a 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 that's good for 335 horsepower sent to the wheels through the quattro system through an eight-speed automatic.

Last but not least, there's also a BMW X5 40i with the 3.0-liter inline-six twin-turbo mill rocking another 335 horsepower through an eight-speed automatic and xDrive. If you look at the spec sheets, they're pretty similar – mid-size family SUVs with all-wheel drive and 3.0-liter turbo engines. The BMW and Audi have the same weight, while the Acura is slightly more powerful and has a ten-speed automatic. It's also lighter than the other two, but we all know that BMW loves underestimating its power ratings.

As such, it is no wonder that Sam decided to kick off the proceeds with the Acura and Audi Q8 facing off first in the traditional set of trials for this channel – a couple of roll races at 50 kph/32 mph and at 70 kph43 mph followed by two out of three drag races to establish the winner. The rolls were a tie – Acura was faster at a slower speed, while the Audi was quicker when starting from a higher velocity. The drags, on the other hand, went quite easily to the MDX Type S corner.

Next up came the mighty BMW X5, and the Bavarian immediately ascertained its dominance with a leisure stroll and a closer call for the two roll races. On the other hand, the drags needed a triple attempt, as each crossover SUV had one victory after the first two skirmishes. In the end, it was close but not close enough for the Acura MDX Type S, which lost the final battle by less than a car's length. Still, that meant the X5 became the undefeated champion of a quick quarter-mile drag race done in the most Canadian kind of way – at low temperatures, with wind gusts, and with the snow blowing past them! Cool, right?